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  1. #1
    ha98ed14 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default What "cheap food" items do you think you can use safely?

    DH is facing another paycut. I kind of can't believe it because he has already had two in the past 12 months. We've already cut as much as we can from from household expenses (turn off lights, reduce water consumption, no landline, cheapest internet plan, no cable TV, cheap cell plans w/out data) and have not bought new clothes, gone out to eat or gone to a movie unless we had a gc that paid for it. We have one car. We did spend money at Xmas, but not more than we could pay off in Jan. We currently have no debt except mortgage and car payment. I know the general thinking here is not to have a car payment, but we do, and getting rid of it is not an option.

    The only place left to cut from our monthly budget is the grocery part. We already cut out the extras that run up a food bill (chips, soda, cookies, pre-prepared), but allowed ourselves to still buy organic milk and eggs and free range meat. (Basically if it was coming out of an animal, I wanted the best quality we could get.) DH and my approach to dealing with the coming paycut are different. (With the prior two, we were in the same page.) He told me we might have to be ok with going into some cc debt. I say no way. It's a slippery slope. If you're ok with some, why not more? He said, "Well, you can't not eat!" And I said, "I would go vegetarian before I will go into debt." (We currently eat meat for dinner 4 times a week.) Well, he isn't having it, but he likes meat a lot more than I do. I wouldn't miss it much. He would, and he would feel deprived and probably pretty resentful. So my question to all of you is, "What food items do you feel you can use the cheaper version of?" I'm trying to figure out a way to let him still have meat, but cutting back on other things. We could have a separate meat budget within grocery and see how that does. Hmmm...
    Mommy to my One & Only 05.07

  2. #2
    brittone2 is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    Nak-
    you are in CA I think?

    Have you ever tried hitting ethnic grocery stores? They often have really great prices on basics (rice/grains, some produce, etc.)

    Eggs are cheap in terms of protein, organic or not. Can you do a quiche or something egg based one night a week? Strata using bread heels (toss into the freezer as you get them and when you have a few make a strata. This also works with leftover veggies you might have around)?
    Mama to DS-2004
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  3. #3
    LMPC is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Sorry, I will post more later...but my first thoughts were....whole chickens vs. parts (still organic) and do you have space to grow a little garden? Things like tomatoes are super easy to grow and don't cost much at all.
    Mommy to a total chatterbox
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  4. #4
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    I am not good at budgeting at all. And you probably already do this, but. . . .

    I am pretty sure a whole chicken is one of the best deals on meat. You can stretch one pretty far by roasting, then using the pulled meat in left overs. And then using the carcass to make stock.

    Also ground beef or sausage can be stretched in spaghetti sauce or in a lasagna or strata. That way he is still having meat, but you used less of it.

    Catherine

  5. #5
    ha98ed14 is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by crl View Post
    I am pretty sure a whole chicken is one of the best deals on meat. You can stretch one pretty far by roasting, then using the pulled meat in left overs. And then using the carcass to make stock.
    Yeah, we already do this, but maybe we could do it more often.
    Mommy to my One & Only 05.07

  6. #6
    edurnemk is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    By "meat" do you mean beef or any kind of meat? My first choice would be to "downgrade" from beef to chicken a couple of nights a week at least. Could you do meat dinners 3 times a weeks instead of 4?

    I don't buy beef at all, for many reasons, not just $. When we have meat it's just chicken or fish. DH has had the hardest time adjusting, but since he travels so much, he rarely eats at home. But I've introduced him to some yummy egg-based dishes he now loves.

    I second the suggestions to grow some of your veggies if that's possible.

    ETA: ITA with you about not getting into more debt, especially for groceries, because it will be an ongoing thing, the credit card bill will grow and grow and with no increase in your income in sight, when will you be able to pay it off? Also in the end you'll have paid many times what you actually spent in food. My rule: credit is not for consumable goods.
    Last edited by edurnemk; 02-25-2011 at 04:06 PM.
    DS 1/08
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  7. #7
    brittone2 is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    Another thought-can you find something like a United Buying club or similar buying group in your area and see if you can get organic eggs, grains, etc cheaper that way (if they carry any products you can use. I have never used United but have friends that do).

    Do you use natural cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda? That's another budget area you might be able to trim down a bit if you don't already use the cheap stuff. Obviously that all depends on what you pay for products now.

    Do you find that you throw out a lot of food? Like you don't get around to cooking it, don't use the leftovers, etc. or are you pretty good there? I always consider that the very first thing to look at, as I think most people can save a lot more by minimizing their waste vs. cutting coupons (if you eat a more whole foods based diet. Not WFs the store obviously ).

    If I knew we were looking at serious, serious cuts, I'd probably look into doing the crazy couponing thing. We don't really eat a lot of the foods that there are coupons for, but if we were really pressed, I'd consider that route to bridge the gap if I was out of options.
    Mama to DS-2004
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  8. #8
    brittone2 is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by ha98ed14 View Post
    Yeah, we already do this, but maybe we could do it more often.
    Yeah, the roasted chicken/stock thing is a weekly thing here. I make a lot of soup and the kids eat that for lunch regularly. Easy to freeze in small portions for them that way.
    Mama to DS-2004
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  9. #9
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    We've cut down a lot on meat but DH does like it and thinks a meal isn't really a meal without it. I try to stretch meat by adding it to things rather than serving it separately. I add it to soups, casseroles, quiches, pasta sauce in smaller portions than a recipe calls for or that some might do. 1/4lb of ground beef goes a long way in a pasta sauce but lots of people add a whole pound of it. Obviously one is more hearty than the other but at least the flavor is there in the reduced amount version. I also use cheaper meats a lot more often (ground beef is king around here) and we use the organic, grass fed beef from TJ's and that isn't exactly cheap.
    DD '06
    DD '14

  10. #10
    brittone2 is offline Blue Diamond level (20,000+ posts)
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    You could also talk to the meat counter folks and find out when they do their mark downs. If you can get the timing down you could shave some money off your budget by tossing that stuff in the freezer ASAP.

    I know for me, if I don't have enough fat/protein I am starving. I have some insulin resistance (thanks to PCOS) so eating a lot of grains just makes me even hungrier. If I eat something like a giant bagel, I'm starving an hour later, whereas if I eat an omelette, I'm full for a long time. Just something to consider when weighing whether upping grains/cutting back protein/meat will work for your family.

    eta: with broth we will sometimes make a quick egg drop soup for lunch. Sooo cheap.

    Do you keep a price book or have a system for tracking prices so you know when you have found a deal on something you use?

    any butcher shops or places like that in your area that have cheap prices? we have a place locally that advertises prices like chicken legs 19 cents a POUND for family pack sizes with a 15 dollar order. Sometimes looking in those unexpected places can lead to a deal. Not organic, but if you are in a pinch it is something else to consider.
    Last edited by brittone2; 02-25-2011 at 04:13 PM.
    Mama to DS-2004
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